Retaining-wall structure



1,695,997 w.H`. EVERS ET AL v RETAINING WALL STRUCTURE Dec. 18, v1928.

Filed April 2, 1925 2 sneet's-she'eyv 1 l WE/woes.-

MLLMM dft/fea Dec. 18, 1928.

wfH. EvERs ET AL RTINING WALL STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fild April 2, 1925 i (3 i 1 m .foo

' Hrm/5y interlocking headers and stretchers,

Patented Dec. 1s, i928.

UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. EVERS AND JOHN W. SHIMEK, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE R. C. PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RETAINING-WALL STRUCTURE.

Application led April 2, 1925. Serial No. 20,038.

Our invention relates to retaining Wall structures or the like, which are composed o its ob- ,ject being to form such structure of beams,

preferably concrete, the cross-sections of whose main portions are of conventional form such as I-beam or channel, -and arranged that the grooves formed by said sections will be placed so as not to catch or hold rain water orthe water, resulting from melting snow or ice, which upon freezing often causes the beams to crack, the integrity of the whole structure, the advantage of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The said invention consists of means hereinafter fully described and particularly set forth in the claims.

The annexed-drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain means embodying our invention, the disclosed and thus imperil` means, however, constituting but one of various mechanical forms in which the of the invention may be employed.

, In said annexed drawings: Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a retaining wall structure embodying our invention, showing the lower yor base portion embedded in the ground.

Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of a fragmentary portion of such a retaining wall structure, and in which the line.I-I indicates the plane upon which the section shown in Fig. 1 is taken.

Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary, section similar to that'of Fig. 1, showing a modification of the structure.

principle Fig. 4 represents a fragmentaryse'ction.

similar td that of Fig. 3, modification. l l

Fig.' 5 represents a plan of one of the head- *showing al second v ers forming Va part of the structure.

Fig. 6 represents a side elevation of'such header.

Fig. 7 represents a section of suchheader taken upon the plane indicated by line VII-VILFig. 6.

Fig. 8 represents a plan of one of the strctchers forming a part of the structure.

stretcher.

Fig. 10 represents an end elevation of such stretcher.

Figs. 11 and 12 represent. respectively a Fig. 9 represents a front elevation of such front and an end elevation of a modified form of stretcher. i The illustrated embodiment of our invention shows same-as applied to a retaining wall for which latter type of structure, our said invention is particularly adapted and useful. Said wall is of the. general form shown and described in Patent No. 1,340,670 issued May 8, 1920, to Pease and Suloif and consists of a plurality of laterally spaced concrete headers 1 and a plurality of np- 65 Wardly and downwardly spaced concrete stretchers 2 interlocking with said headers, the latter and the stretchers, however, having a special form and relation to each other, whereby the desired beneficial resultsl previously referred to, are obtained, and which we shall now describe. Y

In the said illustrated embodiment of the invention, each of the headers 1 consists of a main or body portion 3 of I-beam cross-sec- 76 tion and two end portions 4 of greater depth than said body portion, the top and bottom faces 5 of these end portions being', as shown, parallel with each other and with the body portion. The end faces 6 of these body por- S0 tions 4 are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X--X of the body portion and each of the faces 5 is intersected by a centrally placed groove 7 which extends in a transverse direction at right angles with reference to the main ,85 or body portion 3, as shown in Figs. 5,l 6 and 7 These enlarged end portions 4 are symmetrically placed with' reference to the main portion of the header and are of like form so that either end of the header may be used for front or rear wall, or either face 5 of the end portionl may be used for top or bottom, as will be readily seen.

When the described header is made of concrete. it 'of course is provided with suitable, reinforcing steel bars (not shown) as is customary in the art of concrete structures.

Each of the stretches 2, Figs. 8, 9 and 10. consists of a concrete beam of uniform'and 100 channel cross-section throughout its upper and lower faces having each projecting therefrom a longitudinal centrally placed tongue 8, the one'upright face '9 being made flat as shown in Figs. 1 and 10. These tongues 105 are made of a cross-section corresponding with the cross-section of grooves 7 and are capable of fitting therein.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, the headers run 'from front to rear, and each two oppositely. disposed faces 5 of contiguous headers have' a stretcher interposed between them. By

reason of the continuity'of the tongues 8, the v headers may be placed in any de sired'position longitudinally of the stretchers, as will also be readily understood.

hence in a position in which the water will drain out ofsame. Further the grooves 7 of the end portions of the headers are substantially lled bythe tongues so that practically no water can lodge therein. The strutture formed by the assembled headers and stretchers is therefore selfr draining.

When it is desired'to present a substantially flat outer-or front surface to the wall,

the stretchers are so placed that ltheir flat surfaces 9 will lie in front as shown in Fig. 1, but they may bevturned aboutv as shown in Fig. .3. In either case the draining feature of the stretcher is-retained.- v

When a stretchery of increased depth'is required, an additional lon 'tudinal strengthening side-'rib IO-may be ornied as shown in What we vclaim is 1. `A concrete beamhaving a 4main portion and an integral end portion of greater depth than said main portion andhaving its up'per and lower faces each intersected by a groove exten-ding transversely .with'respect to the longitudinal axis'ofsaidv main portion.

i 2. The-structure specified in claim v1 in which'the end portion is symmetrically arranged withrespect to the axisl of the main portion.

3. A retaining wall structure comprising interlocked. stretchers and headers; the stretchers having top and `bottom tongues and the headers being formed with top andy bottom grooves; a stretcher being interposed.

, between two headers; the oppositely disposed grooves in the latter respectively engaging the tongues of such interposed stretchersf 4. A retaining wall structure ,coniprisin interlocked stretchers and headers; the.. v stretchers having top and' bottom projections and ,the headers having a portlon formed with top-and bottom grooves; a stretcher being interposed between two headers; the oppositely disposed grooves in the-latter respectively engaging the projections of such lnterposed stretcher.; vsaid header having main. portions of I-bearn' cross-section, the

.of adjacent stretchers grooved and having tongues on its opposite and headers; each stretcher being provided with an upper and a lower projecting tongue;

and each header having -a main portion of I-beain 'cross-section and a port-ion having 75 atop and bottom groove;- the `web of the I-beam section being upright and said grooves extending transversely with respert theretoysaid grooves being in engagement with said tongues.` f

7. A retaining wall structure comprising r alternately occurring 'interlocked stretchers and headers; each stretcherbeing provided upon opposite sides with proj ectingA tongues;

and each header being of I-beam cross-sec- I tion the web of which is upright, and being further provided upon opposite sides with grooves extending transversely with respect to its web.

i 8. A' retainingwall structurel comprising 90 upwardly and downwardlyspaced stretchers and Alaterally spaced headers, the headers bein'g laid between successively occurring stretchers; leach stretcher being provided in its top and bottom with a longitudinal tongue; each header having a portion provided with a top and bottom groove engaging the bottom and ltop tongues respectively l 9. A retaining wall structure comprising l upwardly and downwardly-spaced stretchers P andlaterally spaced headers, the' headers be- 'i ing -laid lbetween successively occurring stretchers; each stretcher being provided in its top and bottom V.with a. longitudinal tongue; leach header havinga portion proy vided with a top andbottom Hgroove engaging the bottom" and top tongues respectively of adjacent stretchers, the main portion of each header being of I-beain section having its web upright.

10. A stretcher for a retaining wall structure having one face plane and the other edges. 11a

Signed by us this 13th day of March, `1925. 1WILLIAM H. EVERS.

J O HN YV. SHIMEK. 

